NFL Better Get their Act Together or Lose Season
The negotiating team led by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association Director DeMaurice Smith met this week with U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, following a 15-hour session on Thursday that went past midnight.
What did they get done?
Squat. Nothing. Nada.
Talk progress, but the further the impass goes, the closer it will be to a truncated season or no season at all.
The sticking points? Same as it has been all along:
1) An 18-game schedule.
2) Revenue share: The players get 60 percent, but the owners want more.
3) Healthcare for retired players: Get the NFL greats and fringe players a better healthcare system as they are broken down and the healthcare fund seems just broken.
4) Draft pick money: The owners want a bigger slice.
The real problem here is egos. The players union, considered weak under former player head, the late Gene Upshaw and the owners want to play hardball.
NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith
NFL lead negotiator Jeff Pash.
Who is at a loss here?
The fans, that’s who.
Training camps usually open later this month and even if a settlement is reached tomorrow, unless a judge gets involved, will take weeks to put in gear.
So the clock is ticking.
It is a freakin’ time bomb.
Get it done or bye, bye NFL football season.
